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Victorian change no 'assassination': Abbott

Sabra LaneUpdated
Thu 7 Mar 2013, 2:32 PM AEDT

When Kevin Rudd was toppled as Prime Minister, Tony Abbott prosecuted a ruthless attack against Federal Labor and Julia Gillard, saying a first-term prime minister had been 'ruthlessly assassinated' in the middle of the night by Labor's faceless men. Mr Abbott says the removal of Ted Baillieu as the Victorian Premier can't be compared with the 2010 Federal Labor leadership change. He's described last night's leadership transition as orderly.

Transcript

EMILY BOURKE: When Kevin Rudd was toppled as prime minister, Tony Abbott prosecuted an attack against federal Labor and Julia Gillard saying a first term prime minister had been ruthlessly assassinated in the middle of the night by Labor's faceless men.

He's described last night's leadership transition in Victoria as orderly.

Joining me now is chief political correspondent, Sabra Lane.

Sabra, both the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition are in Sydney's west today. Was Mr Abbott asked if he had any role to play in last night's surprise leadership change in Melbourne?

SABRA LANE: Yes, he certainly was and he should have been expecting these questions and it seemed that given his answers he was.

He was out in Western Sydney to highlight the Coalition's policy on childcare coming u to the federal election that the Coalition would like to see a Productivity Commission enquiry into childcare but when he held a doorstop he was mainly asked about the events in Victoria last night.

There's been a little bit of angst in the Coalition, just a little bit of angst over how Ted Baillieu has been travelling in Victoria, his continuing sort of low polling that's been causing a bit of angst and of course the revelations earlier this week about the handling of corruption issues and allegations.

He was specifically asked about Ted Baillieu's removal especially as he ran that very, very powerful campaign against Julia Gillard. Let's hear a snippet from that press conference.

TONY ABBOTT: Oh look, what we've had is an orderly transition to a new premier.

JOURNALIST: But it's a first term government. Is it not a shadowy coup for the first term leader?

TONY ABBOTT: Oh, look I feel for Ted because obviously he's been doing a difficult job under difficult circumstances, but there's a world of difference between what happened to Ted Baillieu and what happened to the Labor government a few years ago in Canberra.

Ted resigned, he resigned and he was replaced by a supporter as premier.

JOURNALIST 2: What does it say about the faceless men found in the Liberal Party in Victoria?

TONY ABBOTT: Well, I just don't think there's any comparison.

JOURNALIST 3: Did you or your office have any contact with Liberal Party members in Victoria about getting rid of Ted Baillieu?

TONY ABBOTT: Look, obviously I talk to my colleagues all the time about a whole range of subjects but as far as I was concerned, as far as my office was concerned we were working very constructively with Ted Baillieu. As you know we've pledged $1.5 billion to get the east-west link built and I'm confident that we'll work just as constructively with the new Premier.

JOURNALIST 4: So you didn't put any pressure on at all on Mr Baillieu to go?

TONY ABBOTT: My determination is to work with my state and territory colleagues. I think that the national interest is best advanced when state and federal leaders work constructively together and should we win the election come the 14th of September or whenever else it might be held, I am determined to work very constructively with state and territory colleagues.

EMILY BOURKE: That's the Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott speaking there in Mulgoa in Sydney's west.

Our chief political correspondent Sabra Lane joins me in the studio. Sabra, you're observations? What can we read into Tony Abbott's response?

SABRA LANE: Well, that was interesting. That snippet that we heard there he was specifically asked twice whether his office or he had any contact with Victoria about getting rid of Ted Baillieu. He avoided giving a very direct answer to that so I think that's interesting and that will prompt more questions.

EMILY BOURKE: The Prime Minister Julia Gillard of recent times, she's had some very public disagreements with Ted Baillieu and so have her ministers. Has the Prime Minister had any response to his resignation?

SABRA LANE: Well, it's interesting because remember only last week we had the tit for tat over the health funding agreement and the letters being exchanged between Mr Baillieu and the Prime Minister.

So the Prime Minister was asked whether she was a little bit relieved about the fact that Mr Baillieu was moving on and about whether any comparisons could be made with what happened with Kevin Rudd and her own role in that particular removal.

Let's hear how she responded.

JULIA GILLARD: Look, my sense is that Victoria, the people of Victoria have grown weary of the cutbacks of the Victorian Liberal Government. There is a huge campaign to fight the cutbacks in TAFE because that's denying people jobs and opportunity and denying kids the start they need in life.

There is also a fight back against the health cutbacks from the Victorian Liberal Government. So I think in the Victorian community, the sense really is that they are sick of the Liberal cuts and what I don't think people should have to risk is those cuts being added to by a Tony Abbott-led Liberal federal government.